It' s not often I get to go on a fantasy shopping spree. And
since you're an entrepreneur trying to launch a business on
what's likely a water-tight budget, I'm sure you can
relate. So when the editors at Business Start-Ups asked me
to go out and shop to my heart's content for the latest in
office technology, I jumped at the chance. Quite literally, that
is, right out of my chair!

Of course, the editors did have a few rules. (Don't they
always?) I needed to outfit three fictitious start-up companies
with the most appropriate phone, general-office and computer-
peripheral equipment I could find. (I didn't shop for desktop
or laptop computers, since we assume you've already got one.)
Each business had different budgets and requirements.

The first: a one-person office with average technology
needs--and do it for less than $1,000, please. No problem.

Next, a one-man band with more advanced technology
requirements--perhaps an energetic entrepreneur wanting to produce
a Web site and marketing materials in-house on a modest $2,000
budget. OK.

Third, a fast-growing start-up with a few employees already on
the payroll. This company has several demanding users who must
share the office equipment, wants built-in expandability from the
ground up and has $3,000 or less in the budget. A little trickier,
but quite possible.

The last rule (and the one I disliked the most): I didn't
get to keep any of the office equipment--this shopping spree was
only in my dreams.

After I did some initial research, the great folks at Office
Depot agreed to let me (and my photographer) amble up and down the
aisles in one of their huge, well-stocked stores. Just like any
good shopper, I solicited advice from their excellent support
staff. I even ran into two entrepreneurs out shopping for a
stand-alone fax machine, and learned a few things from them along
the way. Then, based on all the evidence, I filled my shopping cart
(rather, three shopping carts) with all the high-tech office
equipment needed to fill the bill. So, without further ado,
here's what I discovered on the greatest (and cheapest)
shopping spree of a lifetime. . . .

Heather Page is former technology editor for Entrepreneur
Media Inc.

Shopping 101

After the excitement wore off and the enormity of the project
began to hit, I figured I'd do what any smart entrepreneur like
yourself would do: head online. Here, I found some great comparison
shopping at Web sites like PriceScan (http://www.pricescan.com). If
you're a real bargain hunter and already know the specific
brands and models you want, PriceScan unearths the lowest prices
available--with links to the vendors' Web sites.

Since I knew I'd be heading over to Office Depot, I decided
to drop by http://www.officedepot.com. Here,
I was able to pare down my shopping list before ever setting foot
in the store. The site has a good comparison-shopping feature,
allowing you to select multiple products and compare features side
by side. For instance, it was easy to make general decisions
regarding laser printers based on price, warranty, output and print
speed. (This saved me the trouble of doing basic research in the
store, so I could make final decisions based on my observations
regarding quality of output, print speed and other factors.) The
Office Depot Web site also has a store locator and custom
shopping-list creator so you can order (and replenish) regular
office supplies, like paper, online.

I found the best selection of office equipment at Computer
Discount Warehouse (http://www.cdw.com). You can browse
through hundreds of kinds of office equipment by brand name, find
top product sellers in specific categories, even get the skinny on
manufacturers' rebates and coupons. The site also has a
fantastic product-comparison feature that lets you analyze up to
five products at a time, complete with photos, in-depth specs,
product availability and more.

Of course, if you find what you want at the right price, you can
buy the equipment online at most computer retailers' Web sites.
I found some of the best prices online, and the product selection
was much wider than what I found in the store. Online shopping is
great if you already know a lot about the technology you're
looking for. You can customize products to your exact
specifications, input your credit card number and have the order
sent directly to your door. Many online retailers even offer free
delivery; Office Depot, for example, provides free delivery for all
online orders over $50.

But buying office technology this way won't let you take
advantage of in-person help. Retail stores like Best Buy, CompUSA,
Office Depot or your local computer reseller are good places to ask
questions and get a second opinion. They also have demo models up
and running so you can test prospective equipment and base your
decisions on more than just online research. At the Office Depot in
Daly City, California, where I went on my shopping spree, Rene
Alvarado, a consultative sales technologist (and genuine technology
enthusiast) answered all my product questions, clearly outlined my
options and offered sound advice. In the end, buying online or in
person is simply a matter of how much tech know-how you already
have and where you're most comfortable making a purchase.

Under $1K

Upon hitting the shelves, it didn't take me long to discover
that I couldn't find all the brands and models on my shopping
list. At stores, the selection can be slim. Office Depot, for
instance, didn't carry any printers or fax machines from Sharp
Electronics, which were on my shopping list when I headed to the
store. In some cases, Alvarado was able to steer me to alternative
brands and models with better prices, features and warranties. But
be prepared to be flexible. If not, be prepared to buy online as
needed.

The first major decision I made was to go with a laser printer
rather than an inkjet. For basic office needs like outputting sales
letters, word processing documents and invoices, I chose the
high-quality professionalism of laser printers over the cheaper
inkjets. Plus, Alvarado assured me you get more bang for your buck
with a laser printer down the road, considering the fact that you
won't have to shell out $25 a pop for a new inkjet cartridge
every few hundred pages.

My choice for a good SOHO laser printer is the Xerox WorkCentre
XD 100 laser/copier machine. It prints at 600 x 600 dpi resolution
and a fast 8 pages per minute (ppm) from its large 250-sheet paper
tray. The WorkCentre XD 100 is also a great digital copier in one
neat package. It comes with 50 to 200 percent reduction/enlargement
features and several preset buttons. However, since the WorkCentre
XD 100 copier/laser is rather large, it might not be the best
solution for tight office space.

Next, I chose an affordable plain-paper fax machine for handling
basic fax needs. At $139.99 (street), the Panasonic KX-FP101 fax
machine fit that description, with functional 56-number storage, 15
seconds per page faxing and a 150-sheet paper tray. It stores up to
28 pages in document memory, so there's less time spent hanging
around the fax machine. Also in my shopping cart: a basic digital
AT&T 9301 900 MHz cordless phone with speed-dialing features
and excellent voice clarity; an Iomega 100MB Zip drive for backing
up business data; and a Bush Fusion Collection Corner Desk, which
is n L-shaped computer workstation with a very large workspace. I
also saw some cool, wire mesh desk accessories for cheap, so I
threw these into the equation as well. Why not?

Under $2K

For a small office with more diverse needs such as creating
sales presentations, newsletters and other marketing materials, a
good color inkjet printer is key. I chose the Hewlett-Packard
DeskJet 882C color inkjet, with 6 ppm color and 8 ppm
black-and-white printing. At $299, it's still very affordable,
outputs at a decent 600 dpi and holds 100 sheets of paper.

To complement this setup, the Hewlett- Packard LaserJet 3100
laser printer/fax/copier offers laser-quality printing at 600 x 600
dpi for word processing and business documents. Plus, it faxes at a
respectable 6 ppm and scans documents at up to 600 dpi resolution.
An all-in-one solution, the LaserJet 3100 supports multiple tasks
simultaneously, such as printing while receiving an incoming fax--a
key feature for a busy entrepreneur.

Companies that are heavily marketing-oriented will also find a
color scanner quite useful, especially for capturing images to use
in Web sites, brochures and presentations. The Hewlett-Packard
6300CS color flatbed scanner handles the job nicely. Both Mac- and
PC-compatible, the 6300CS 45-bit color scanner supports 600 dpi
(2,400 with resolution enhancement). This flatbed scanner also
comes with a great software bundle, including Adobe PhotoShop LE,
Corel Photo Paint, OCR software and more.

Several other cool office technologies made their way into my
shopping cart, including the Siemens Phone System Gigaset 2420.
This cordless phone makes sense for companies that are expanding
quickly. Plug the charger base into an outlet and it supports up to
eight users; simply add another phone line and handset ($129.99
each, street). The Siemens Phone System Gigaset 2420 contains a
digital answering machine that handles up to five different
outgoing messages, supports caller ID and offers excellent voice
quality and security because it operates at 2.4 GHz.

Under $3K

To equip an office that has a few employees, I wanted equipment
that could be shared easily. My piÃ¨ce de
rÃ¨sistance was a network-ready departmental laser printer
from Hewlett-Packard, the LaserJet 2100TN. This Mac- and
PC-compatible printer outputs at a fast 10 ppm, offers 1,200 x
1,200 dpi resolution and comes pre-installed with a network card to
get multiple users up and running quickly. Office Depot carries it
for just under $1,000, making it an extremely affordable
option.

"Normally, you must spend at least $1,500 for a network
printer," confirms Alvarado. "This one is a good price at
$999, comes with the network card already installed, has a double
[paper] tray and comes with an infrared port, so if you have a
laptop or handheld [PC], you can just point it at the printer and
print. It's definitely a good buy."

To handle multiuser fax and copying demands, I chose the Brother
MFC-4350 Laser All-In-One Machine. It faxes at 6 ppm, makes
multiple copies (up to 99 pages) and has reduction and enlargement
features. The Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 882C color inkjet printer
($299.99) is reasonably priced for the occasional color user in the
office. And the Siemens Phone System Gigaset 2420 with three extra
handsets ($129.99 each) takes care of four employees' phone
needs.

The new External Iomega Zip 250MB Parallel Drive can easily
handle the crucial job of backing up an entire office's data.
It's the fastest and largest-capacity drive of its kind,
handling big jobs with relative ease. The parallel-port model makes
backing up multiple PCs easy; it's also hassle-free for PC
users on the move. Finally, American Power Conversion's
Back-UPS 650 protects multiple pieces of office equipment from
power surges and outages. It also contains a modem surge protector
and software to automatically save data and power down your
equipment.

Checkout Line

Before heading to the checkout counter and plunking down your
plastic, you might want to consider equipment leasing. Leasing
lowers your initial equipment costs and keeps the latest technology
in your hands. Office Depot has a $900 equipment minimum to
participate in its business-leasing program; the company offers
approval within 15 minutes.

Generally, most leasing companies offer a variety of
end-of-lease options, such as trading in equipment after your lease
period is over, purchasing it for fair market value and even buying
it for $1. In addition to computer retailers, computer
manufacturers like Dell (http://www.dell.com) and Compaq (http://www.compaq.com), online
retailers such as Computer Discount Warehouse and a variety of
third-party companies offer leasing programs.

Leasing isn't for everyone. Be sure to read the fine print
and carefully consider the (not-so) minor details, including
interest rates and insurance requirements. (For more on leasing,
see September's "Tech Know" column.)

By the time you head for the counter, hopefully you've done
your online research, gleaned useful advice from customer service
representatives and focused on getting the best features for your
money. As I found out, a lot of thought is required in order to
make the perfect choices. But it's definitely time (and money)
well-spent. Happy shopping!

Shopping Cart: Under $1,000

AT&T 9301 900 MHz cordless phone: $49.99

Xerox WorkCentre XD 100 copier/laser printer:
$549.99

Panasonic KX-FP101 plain-paper fax machine: $139.99

Bush Fusion Collection Corner Desk: $79.99

Iomega 100MB Zip drive: $99.99

Eldon pencil cups: $3.99

Eldon mini sorter: $8.99

Eldon stacking letter tray: $8.99

Total: $941.92

Shopping Cart: Under $2,000

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 3100 all-in-one machine:
$699.00

Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 882C color inkjet printer:
$299.99

Hewlett-Packard 6300CS color flatbed scanner:
$400.00

Siemens Phone System Gigaset 2420: $379.00

Bush Fusion Collection Corner Desk: $79.99

Iomega 100MB Zip drive: $99.00

Total: $1,956.98

Shopping cart: Under $3,000

Siemens Phone System Gigaset 2420: $379.00

Siemens 2420 handsets (3) : $389.97

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 2100TN laser printer:
$999.99

Brother MFC-4350 Laser All-In-One Machine: $399.99

Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 882C color inkjet printer:
$299.99

External Iomega Zip 250MB Parallel Drive: $199.99

American Power Conversion Back-UPS 650: $229.00

Total: $2,897.93

What's In Store

These days, Computer retailers are ramping up customer
assistance in an effort to better serve their small-business
customers. Case in point: Major retailer Office Depot provides
special service representatives who build custom PCs and solutions
for businesses.

Gateway recently announced it's rolling out two new
small-business programs to all 164 Gateway Country Store locations
by the end of this month. One is the development of all-new Gateway
Business Solutions Centers. These small-business shopping areas,
packed full of networked systems, servers, PCs and notebooks, are
designed to offer more personalized attention for Gateway's
business customers. In addition, the Gateway Business Network
Specialist program is a move by Gateway to partner with local
resellers in Gateway territory and offer all-in-one networking
solutions to its customers.

The time has never been riper for getting to know your local
computer retailer.